“The bridges to success are often fraught with twists and turns that sometimes impede our progress. But steadfast innovation and a passion to cross those bridges will result in a continuous series of successes.” – Stan Albert
So, as I write my 75th column for REM, I turn 75 this month. Mark Twain once said, “Age is just a matter of mind over matter – if you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.”
What have l learned in the past 40 plus years in this business? Everything in our industry has changed 360 degrees several times over.
Paper listings and MLS books have all gone into cyberspace. We are now living in a high-tech powerless world and it’s more and more streamlined every year – actually, even every six months.
From Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, we can stream our listings and other vital information to our colleagues and to the consumer across the globe.
Years ago when I started writing for REM, I predicted that those who didn’t get into technology would be left behind, wondering what happened to their business model of using mailers and other like marketing materials to source out new clients to add to their data base.
Is that business model dead? Not really. I believe that a progressive agent will do a composite of the use of the technology available to him and still use mail-out material. And yes, there are agents who will actually go out and door knock an area to develop additional client bases.
Are the challenges we now face more difficult than what we had in the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s? They sure as heck are. We as an industry have survived three recessions in my lifetime and still have a vibrant and burgeoning profession that many are still clamouring to enter. The last figures I heard, in Ontario at least, was that about 30,000 per year are entering the industry and approximately 2,500 or so register with the Toronto Real Estate Board! How many actually practice real estate is a sore point with some of us, but that’s another column in a future issue.
Recently at our monthly sales meeting we had Pam Alexander, CEO of Re/Max Ontario/Atlantic Canada, address over 150 of our agents about the Competition Bureau suing TREB in order for the public to fully access the history of all the listings on the MLS.
Her address was simple and to the point. “We’ve been through a lot of difficult times and we’ve survived so many challenges,” she said. “If we keep sharpening our skills and providing great service as we have in the past, we will do more than survive after the current pending litigation is over.”
When I started out, we had to face interest rates of six per cent. In the late ’70s and early ’80s we experienced 18 to 24 per cent interest rates, with “vendor take backs.” Did we fold our tents and leave the business? Some did, but those who stayed on lived through it and some of us are still around to tell the tale.
In any industry change is inevitable, so get used to it. Learn to compete in these challenging times. Charge more for your services and not less, because you have the talent and the resources to give consumers the benefits of your years of training. Show your skills off with your track record of sales. For those who are newer to our business, show what your brokerage has done in the past year.
Many of us realize that this is a relationship business and that in order to maintain a steady income we have to nurture those relationships. Write a note to your client and mail it (provided Canada Post is not on strike) or email or better still, drop by your contacts’ homes with a small token of your appreciation for their past business or their constant stream of referrals.
Speaking of relationships, don’t ignore the wonderful efforts and team work that your support team gives you. Catch them doing a great job and tell them that you appreciate the awesome tasks that they do daily.
By using these simple ideas, you will protect your client-based referrals and assure yourself of a great future.
I realize this article may seem somewhat rambling at times, but here’s my point: Behave like a business person and not just a commission-based salesperson.
Over the years, many of you have emailed me your comments about my columns and I truly appreciate your kind words. Many of us older statesmen in the business would like to hear from you about the current issues with the Competition Bureau. This is not just TREB’S fight – it impacts every agent in Canada. The outcome is probably inevitable. The bureau will win in the end, but perhaps not without a fight. Be in touch with your MP and tell them that you’re dissatisfied, tell them that you work hard for your fees and that when the bureau has its way, it will decimate the functionality of the boards across Canada.
Stan Albert, broker/manager, ABR, ASA at Re/Max Premier in Vaughan, Ont. can be reached for consultation at stanalb@rogers.com. Stan is now celebrating 40 years as an active real estate professional.
Stan Albert, ABR, ASA is a consultant with Re/Max Premier in Vaughan, Ont. He can be reached for consultation by email. Stan is now celebrating his 45th year as an active real estate professional.
